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Taliga and Ayodi shine bright in Singapore

For the first time this series the DHL Impact Player was shared between two players in Singapore.

19/04/2016 13:00

For the first time on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series the DHL Impact Player was split between two stars who clocked up some huge stats in Singapore.

Oscar Ayodi, an integral part of Kenya's Cup-winning side, shared the award with Fiji playmaker Kitione Taliga in what was a supreme display of rugby sevens across the two days in Southeast Asia.

Ayodi's huge shift for Kenya

A key feature to Kenya's first ever Cup victory on the series was the relentless work-rate of the team. Ayodi epitomised this with some huge shifts against the likes of France, Argentina and Fiji. Head coach Benjamin Ayimba didn't make one substitution in the final until well into the second half, showing he was keen to get the most out of his players who were in great condition heading into the eighth round of the series.

Ayodi scored two crucial tries on the weekend. One against Argentina in the Cup semi-final, a match that Kenya only won 15-12, and another in their Cup quarter-final win against France. Dig a little deeper into the stats though and you will see that Ayimba used Ayodi as a key ball carrier as he notched up 23 carries. He made four breaks, three offloads and 10 tackles also showing his all round ability as a sevens player.

Taliga too hot to handle

Kitione Taliga is fast becoming one of the finest players on the sevens circuit with an abundance of skill, vision and clinical finishing. Taliga was named as the playmaker in the Dream Team for Singapore as well as sharing the DHL Impact Player award with Ayodi.

With five tries under his belt and countless try assists, Taliga's overall performance in Singapore was worthy of the award. In a team that is not short of playmakers - Ben Ryan brought on six to secure the win against South Africa - it takes something special to shine. With the likes of Vatemi Ravouvou, Osea Kolinisau and Jasa Veremalua consistently leading the way for Fiji, it says a lot of Taliga that he has been able to slot into the side with such ease.

Breaking down the statistics, Taliga's strength is in attack with 19 carries, six breaks and eight offloads. In the Cup quarter-final against Australia, his two tries were the difference between winning and losing as Ryan's side took a 19-14 victory.

Tight at the top in Series Performance Tracker

After eight rounds the top three players in the DHL Series Performance Tracker are separated by just one point, with Fiji's Osea Kolinisau leading the way, with a massive 124 carries contributing to his position at the top of the table.

Three Fijians make it into the top seven, while Seabelo Senatla is the only South African in the mix, just one point behind Kolinisau. Also worthy of mention is Russia's Vladimir Ostroushko who has consistently performed on the series to put himself in fifth place overall on 247 points.